Oh, PLEASE NOOOOOO...............

[Gemma]

Actually less shedding does not equal less dander. The dander sheds from the dog independent of the fur. It's just dead skin cells, same as we humans shed.

Give me a fur shedder any day of the week! Long hair, short hair, coat-blowers, they're all good. I only have allergies with "hypo" dogs!

There is a link between the rate of shedding and the production of dander in dogs. Research has shown that improvements in diet can also reduce the shedding of both hair and skin cells (ie dander).

Current thinking seems to be that the less disruption to the dermis (ie from hair loss, dryness, scratching etc), the lower the rate of dander production. My husband is also dog allergic, and I love dogs, so this is an area of some interest to me (I'd hate to have to give him up )

Other studies have a shown that some individuals appear to have breed specific allergies (ie caused by specific allergens, & not necessarily related to the overall rate of shedding and/or dander produced), and perhaps that's the case in your instance.

Gem

[KnottedYet]

My friend's dog is allergic to HER. The dog is allergic to people dander!

When I dog-sit him, I give him his Benadryl and his weekly allergy shot, and I just marvel at the way the tables turned for this doggie.

[OakLeaf]

Both of our stray mutts looked to be a cross between two purebreds: a Greyhound/Dalmatian (incredibly hyper, shed like a year-round blizzard, and very clingy-timid-needy which probably had more to do with his experiences before we found him than with his temperament); and a Lab/Aussie (scary smart, very opinionated, playful and affectionate without being overbearing, really the closest to a "normal" dog of any of our four).

Not encouraging anyone to breed EITHER of these on purpose. Man, you don't even need to go to a shelter. Just walk down the street, pick up a friendly stray who's obviously been on the street for a while, post a couple of posters or want ads "just to be sure," and keep the dog when no one answers them.

The one "Heinz 57" we had, had none of the vaunted hybrid vigor. Allergic to everything, aged younger than any of them, arthritis in multiple joints, and eventually died from an autoimmune blood disorder

[OakLeaf]

My friend's dog is allergic to HER. The dog is allergic to people dander!

When I dog-sit him, I give him his Benadryl and his weekly allergy shot, and I just marvel at the way the tables turned for this doggie.

I want to know where the vet gets "people serum"! Maybe I need my allergist to put some of that in my shot!

[Jolt]

While I can understand some of the reasons behind the "designer mutts" (mutts tend to be healthier, the whole non-shedding thing) the trend still seems a little silly to me, even though some of the dogs are pretty cute! Personally, I'd much rather pick out a dog from a shelter since there are plenty of nice ones there that would make great companions. What bugs me more is some of the stuff Gemma mentioned earlier about breeding for traits that end up creating health problems (back problems in dachshunds, the squished faces in pugs, bulldogs etc. that result in breathing problems, the sloped back ends on German Shepherds, etc.). Why would you deliberately breed animals that are likely to be unhealthy due to their "fashionable" physical characteristics? Now THAT is stupid--it's bad for the dogs and also for the people who have them as pets and have to watch them suffer. There needs to be some moderation in breeding for fashion/show. I think the whole dog show thing goes too far. If I understand correctly, dog shows were originally a way to help pick dogs for breeding that would be able to do their specific jobs and be healthy, rather than just for fashion like they are now.

[fastdogs]

I'm here in missouri, the puppy mill capital of the world.
I can say for a fact that MOST of the breeders of these designer dogs in fact DO NOT health or temprament test breeding stock, and the reason for the breeding has nothing to do with trying to get the best of both worlds.
It's all about unique breeds and breed names. Since they aren't registered (unless it's with one of the mill-specific "registries"), they don't even have to start with registered breeding stock.
Since many of the mills specialize in small dogs, now they are getting on the bandwagon by crossing those breeds for designer breeds. Designed for nothing but making money. They may make up reasons for the cross, after the fact, but it really has nothing to do with why they did the cross in the first place. It's like they are all trying to be the first to come up with the most unusual cross.
There, that's MY soapbox.
vickie

[Flur]

Since many of the mills specialize in small dogs, now they are getting on the bandwagon by crossing those breeds for designer breeds.

I've noticed a "breed them smaller" trend with dachshunds, where breeders are breeding solely for size and selling them as "micro minis", or crossing them with chihuahuas to make "chiweenies". What these breeders are NOT telling people is that the smaller the dachshund the more fragile and the more careful you have to be about their backs. And unless these breeders are also breeding for top health (doubtful) they're not ensuring that the dogs they breed don't have a family history of back issues. For a while there was a trend to breed them for length - glad that's gone!

[horsemom]

I have to jump in on this discussion. I groom dogs for a living, and used to be a cruelty investigator, so I am more than familiar with puppy mills. I LOVE Goldens and Standard Poodles--they are my two most favorite purebreds. When I first heard of the cross, I thought it would be the perfect type, even though I am not a fan of dog breeding in general.

I have met only a couple goldendoodles or labradoodles that I would own (and I LOVE dogs). Most of the ones we see in our shop (there are at least 10 or 15 that come in regularly) are NUTS - very hyperactive and some are aggressive. They possess neither the good nature of the goldens or the intelligence of the standard poo. AND, they shed like any other dog.

Most of my clients who got them were misled in the amount of grooming they would require. Besides shedding, most of them get mats if they are not groomed regularly. Once they have mats, they need to be shaved, and that freaks some of these people out - they were not told that it could happen that way. They were led to believe that the dogs would not shed, and equated that to not being trimmed or shaved.

Most of the people that got this particular designer dog, are not happy with either the temperment or the haircoat---something that was fairly predictable in the purebreds they came from.

Laura

[Tuckervill]

My friend with the Golden/Poodle mix does dog rescue and rescued this dog, too. She had an Anatolian shepherd before that, so she was used to that kind of hair! But you're right, her Charlie is a big goofball and if not for her intelligent and rigorous training, he would be entirely too hard to handle.

Karen

[Dogmama]

We have a couple of Goldendoodles in for training. They are dull-normal at best.

[Gemma]

What bugs me more is some of the stuff Gemma mentioned earlier about breeding for traits that end up creating health problems (back problems in dachshunds, the squished faces in pugs, bulldogs etc. that result in breathing problems, the sloped back ends on German Shepherds, etc.). Why would you deliberately breed animals that are likely to be unhealthy due to their "fashionable" physical characteristics? Now THAT is stupid--it's bad for the dogs and also for the people who have them as pets and have to watch them suffer. There needs to be some moderation in breeding for fashion/show. I think the whole dog show thing goes too far. If I understand correctly, dog shows were originally a way to help pick dogs for breeding that would be able to do their specific jobs and be healthy, rather than just for fashion like they are now.

I totally agree. There is a program about the health problems that have been bred into pedigree dogs on the BBC today:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ee-breeds.html

Here's some link to excerpts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7569521.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7569592.stm

Gemma